The Pattels

by S. K. Hardy

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Let’s be honest. We both know you could’ve slept with me last night. And the night before. Why didn’t you? I thought that’s why you brought me to your estate, but since you didn’t I’m asking you now: what do you want from me?”

  “That’s a loaded question. Are you sure you’re ready to hear the answer?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”

  Hawk nodded slowly. “Fine. You’re right. If all I wanted was sex I could’ve gotten that at any time.” He wasn’t being arrogant, just honest. “But I want more than that. I told you that the first time you came to my home in Connecticut. I want you with me when I wake up in the morning and lying beside me when I go to bed at night. This time around there’s only me and you, Rae. No secrets. No hidden agenda. No family interference. Just the two of us.”

  “Before everything happened that last weekend that we were together, I was ready to give you all of that, all of me because I wanted that, too.” She hesitated then continued. “I’ve never been that way with anyone before, Hawk. I never allowed myself to be. I don’t know if I can even trust you enough to do it again.”

  “You can, Rae. It’ll take some time, but we’ll get there. You don’t even have to meet me halfway, just let me know you’re willing to try. Think about that.”

  Raven tore her eyes away from his and went back to gazing out the window. Hawk watched her, wishing he had a ‘do over’ or could go back and change what happed between them. But life didn’t work that way. The only thing he could do now was move on and be better, be what she needed. Hopefully Raven would allow him that chance.

  They made it to their destination within thirty minutes and stopped in front of the humongous three-story building Hawk bought last year. Roughly 25,000 feet, it was more than large enough to operate a restaurant with a rooftop deck and the nightclub downstairs.

  Once inside, they went to the entrance that would lead them to the club. Hawk looked down in surprise when Raven slipped her hand in his, but didn’t comment on the gesture. It might not seem like much–but it was a start.

  Rae looked around with wide eyes at the buzz of activity going on. “Wow. This place is huge.”

  “Yeah. Between the club and the restaurant we’ll have close to 250 employees.” Guiding her around the area, Hawk pointed out different projects and explained what was going on. “Massive LED video screens will be placed throughout the club. We’ll have four bars, two on this side...” He pointed across the space to the opposite area. “And two on that side. That’s the DJ booth there in the center of the dance floor and over there is a hydraulic stage. It’s set in the middle of a VIP ‘party pit’. It’ll stay elevated for the first half of the night, but later descend to floor level, transforming the entire area into a dance floor.”

  “Wait, is that a stripper pole on the hydraulic stage?” Raven looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Really, Pattel?”

  Hawk grinned. “A removable stripper pole, yes. It’ll be classy. Trust me. The dancers we’ve hired are sexy but their performances are more acrobatic.”

  “Interesting. Sort of a marriage between a Cirque du Soleil strip club and a traditional nightclub.”

  “Basically,” Hawk nodded.

  “So while that stage thingy is in the air, the dancers will be doing their routines?”

  “Right.”

  “And are those...cages?” Raven pointed to a steel apparatus with bars that was one of many hanging from the ceiling in the club.

  “Yeah. They light up in the dark while the women are dancing. Wanna try one?” Hawk didn’t even attempt to keep the amusement off his face as he looked at Raven.

  Her eyes shot to his. “Freak.”

  Hawk burst out laughing. He noticed she didn’t say no, though. Moving closer to her, he bent down and whispered seductively in her ear. “Takes one to know one, sweetheart.”

  A shiver ran through Raven’s body. She stared up at him like a hungry little kitten ready to lap at a bowl of cream. They both knew she couldn’t deny his claim. During their relationship, Hawk introduced her to sexual acts she’d never even thought of participating in; Raven had been down to try each and every one.

  She deliberately took a couple of steps back to put some space between them. Once she did, her breath came out in a heavy rush as if her lungs had held it hostage in her chest. She rapidly fanned her face with her hand while her eyes bounced around the room.

  A subtle smirk played around Hawk’s lips as he watched her. Yeah, that’s right. Best believe things were hot. They were ‘bout to get a whole lot hotter.

  Raven cleared her throat and bravely met his bold stare. “So your club will definitely stand out from the others in the area. This is, uh...it’s amazing.”

  Deciding to humor her, he went along with her attempt to reflect his attention away from her original comment. “I think so, too. Other places like Liv, Mansion, Story, they’re all doing the same ole’ standard nightclub thing,” Hawk said, referencing Miami’s mainstays. He glanced around his spot again with a look of anticipation as if plotting his victory. “I get it. It’s safe, but that ain’t me. Never has been. I plan to expand globally within the next coupe of years but for now, Euphoria is about to take over this city, the same as Bliss did in New York, Fantasy in Vegas, and Ecstasy in Atlanta. Watch.”

  “I believe you. I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do.”

  “You’ll have a front row seat, right by my side, Rae. That’s why it’s important to me to get your input.”

  Raven’s eyes slid away from his. It was clear how uncomfortable that type of talk made her feel, but Hawk saw no reason to water things down. He’d known what he wanted practically from the day he saw her in that courtroom. It was taking longer than he expected for them to work this out, but that would change.

  CHAPTER 19

  “Hawkins, hola!”

  Hawk turned and saw the manager of the nightclub hurrying towards them with a wide smile. A tall, gorgeous woman trailed a few feet behind him at a slower pace with her eyes glued on Raven.

  “I didn’t know you were planning on stopping by, how are you?” Mateo was a short man with a huge personality and unbounded energy. He greeted Hawk with an enthusiastic handshake while patting him on the back.

  “Mateo, good to see you,” Hawk told him before turning to pull Raven to his side. “I decided to swing through and bring Raven to see everything in person.”

  “Great, great!” Mateo took her hand in both of his. “Hola, Raven. You’re even lovelier now that we’re face to face. Hawkins is a very lucky man. Eres bella,” he beamed at Hawk.

  Hawk stared down at Raven and nodded his agreement. “Yes, she’s very beautiful.”

  Raven blushed at the look in his eyes. Anyone else would think it was admiration, but Hawk knew how to turn on the charm at the drop of a hat. “Thank you, Mateo, you’re very kind,” she told him, returning his smile.

  “Not at all. Just honest to a fault.” Mateo brought her hand up to his lips to gallantly bestow a kiss on it.

  “Hey, hey, hey. Watch it.” Hawk playfully extracted Raven’s hand from Mateo’s grip and nestled her underneath his arm. “Keep messin’ around like that and you’ll find yourself floatin’ in the Atlantic somewhere.”

  They laughed when Mateo threw his hands up and took a step back. Hawk looked behind him and spotted the woman who came over with Mateo standing several feet away and gestured her over. “Rae, this is Valencia Alvarez. Her company is responsible for marketing the project. Valencia, this is Raven Randolph.”

  Flipping her waist length dark locks over her shoulder, Valencia gave Raven a sharp nod and greeted her through stiff lips that barely moved. “Hello, Raven. Mateo mentioned you when I came in today. It’s good to meet you.” Before Raven could respond, she turned to Hawk with a smile as bright as a headlight in a dark tunnel. She leaned forward and kissed both his cheeks. “Hola, Hawk. ¿Cómo estás?”

  �
�I’m doing well, Val, and yourself? How are things going?”

  “Todo va maravilloso!” Valencia started gesturing around and speaking in a flurry of excited Spanish, but Hawk held a hand up to stop her.

  “English, Valencia.” He nodded towards to Raven. “Repeat that, please.”

  “Oh, my apologies, Raven.” Valencia didn’t even try to disguise her insincerity. “I’m accustomed to speaking Spanish to Hawk since he’s fluent in the language.”

  Raven heard the condescending cattiness in the other woman’s tone and bristled. Hawk felt the way her body coiled beneath his hand that rested on her waist. He pulled her closer, subtly telling her to stay cool. She sent him a heated glance, but remained silent as the other woman continued.

  “I was saying that things are going wonderfully. We’ve conducted interviews with some of the biggest news outlets and television stations in Miami. The press is anxious to see what all the fuss with Euphoria is about.”

  “Great. Let’s keep the buzz going,” Hawk nodded. “I saw several of the billboards you mentioned you were putting up. The social media pages are looking good, too.”

  “Thanks,” Valencia preened. “We’re posting to them several times a day.”

  “Are you utilizing influencers as well?” Raven asked.

  Valencia paused. It was obvious she didn’t welcome Raven’s input, but she quickly pasted on a condescending smile. “We’re on all social media platforms, so that’s not necessary.” Her reply was short to the point of rudeness. Turning to Hawk, her eyes softened as she touched his arm. “When you get a second there are some things I’d like to talk to you about. One being how extremely beneficial it would be for you to give one or two interviews. The press is really interested in speaking with you.”

  “I’m sure they are but my position hasn’t changed. I don’t plan on sitting down for any interviews. I’ve already told you that.” Hawk’s tone cooled a couple of degrees as if he was tired of going over the same old thing. Making an effort to curb his impatience, he turned his attention to Raven and brought the conversation back to her question. “Why do you think social media influencers would be beneficial?”

  Raven didn’t miss the flash of anger and embarrassment that crossed the other woman’s face at Hawk’s snub, but that wasn’t her problem. “Well, billboards and articles are a great idea, but millennials aren’t watching television or reading newspapers or listening to the radio. Remember, they’re your main target audience. You reach them through their phones, which they’re constantly using. Last night I looked at the social media accounts set up for Euphoria. They’re not getting very much interaction right now.”

  “And that’s where we need to hook them,” Mateo commented, earning a dirty look from Valencia. “That makes sense.”

  “I agree.” Hawk nodded and folded his arms. “Go on, Rae.”

  “Authentic influencers have access to large audiences; they have millions of followers and easily affect their audiences decisions and purchase power. This is why brands are choosing to partner with them to achieve their marketing objectives.” She glanced at Valencia. “Like it or not, it’s how things are done now.”

  Valencia’s dark eyes flashed like clouds readying for a storm. Her accent thickened with her anger. “I appreciate the observation but I’ve been in this business a long time. I know what I’m doing. My company has helped to build buzz for a lot of grand openings in this town.”

  “You’ve just made her point,” Hawk told her. “I’m not trying to be like other clubs or restaurants and I definitely don’t want to use the same old blueprints they’ve utilized for years. It’s lazy and not very creative, is it?”

  Valencia’s face flushed a dull red at Hawk’s rebuke. “I, uh, see how you might think that, but what I’m saying is that it doesn’t make much sense to throw away the advertising budget on some fad.”

  “Fad or not, it’s what works in today’s market. I’m still for traditional marketing, but I like Raven’s idea as well. Get on that today.”

  Valencia could see she was quickly losing ground. “That would be a mistake, Hawk. I really don’t think–”

  “It wasn’t a suggestion, Valencia.” Hawk’s cut off the rest of her sentence like a sharp scalpel slicing through flesh. “Please do as I say.”

  Valencia’s eyes poured pure hatred Raven’s way before she nodded at Hawk and gave him a strained smile. “Of course. I’ll start as soon as I get back to my office.”

  “Excellent. And when you finish, contact Raven with the list of influencers so that she can start observing their social media pages. Matter of fact, since you’ve been having to call me about so many issues lately, report everything to Raven from here on out. She’ll be my voice and will bring any concerns you have back to me.”

  It was a toss up as to who looked more shocked, Valencia or Raven.

  “What? You cannot be serious, Hawk!” Valencia’s distress showed in her voice. “I’m to report to your girlfriend about something as important as this?”

  “Yes. You are.” A deep scowl crossed Hawk’s forehead at her tone. His face stiffened in anger. “Hay algún problema, Valencia?”

  “No, but...”

  “Is. There. A problem?” Hawk repeated slowly in English. “And I’d advise you to think very carefully before you answer my question.”

  Valencia belated realized she overstepped. “No. No hay problema. Eres el jefe.”

  “That’s right. I am the boss. Please don’t question me again.”

  “Sí, Please accept my apology.” Valencia delivered the acknowledgement with as much humility as she could muster. Giving them a stiff nod, she quickly made her escape with a toss of her head. Hawk’s eyes glittered with irritation as he watched her leave.

  Mateo glanced back at Valencia before giving Hawk a veiled look. “Well, that escalated quickly. What the hell was that all about?”

  “I have an idea, but I’ll deal with her later.” Hawk patted Mateo’s shoulder before taking Raven’s hand. “I’ll find you when I finish so that we can go over a few things in my office. Cool?”

  “Sounds good.” Mateo nodded and gave him a thumbs up. “See you then.”

  Hawk led Raven to the elevator that would take them up to the restaurant. He stared at the stainless steel doors, silently seething about the scene with Valencia. Like he told Mateo, he knew exactly what Valencia’s problem was, but it was just that. Her problem. If she couldn’t manage her issues and keep things professional he wouldn’t hesitate to fire her ass and get someone else to do the job. Hawk had never been one to let a person live rent free in his head. Valencia was good at what she did, but keeping her wasn’t worth the hassle, especially when he had more important things he needed to concentrate on.

  When Raven tugged at her hand to try and ease it from his, he turned to stare at her with the scowl unknowingly still in place. He immediately noticed the stiff set of her features. “What’s wrong?”

  When she shook her head and remained in mutinous silence Hawk’s sigh revealed his impatience. Great. Now what? The elevators opened a second later. Raven tried to step around him, but Hawk curved an arm around her waist and brought her back. Hooking a finger under her chin, he lifted her head up so that he could see her eyes.

  “I think you know by now that we’ll stand here all day if we have to until you answer my question. Now, are you going to tell me what’s bothering you or do we make ourselves comfortable right here?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Raven...” This time he didn’t try to hide his irritability. Seeing the stubborn set of her pouting lips, his mind backtracked to try and pinpoint when her attitude first showed up. “Is this about what I told Valencia? Are you upset because I told her to report to you?”

  “No. I know you were just doing that to put her in her place.”

  “No. I wasn’t. I meant everything I told her. You had valid questions and made an excellent suggestion. She just didn’t like them because they came from
you.”

  “I told you I’m not upset because of that.”

  “Okay. Then what?” Hawk snapped.

  Lowering her eyes, Raven folded her bottom lip in and bit down on it for several moments. When her eyes finally lifted to meet his, he saw the answer on her face before she even spoke. The female mind was a mystery to most men and could be somewhat hard to decode but the majority of the time, Hawk found it easy to pick up clues and decipher their thoughts and mood. Like now. There was no way for him to miss the stirring mixture of jealousy, anger, and accusation in Raven’s eyes.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Raven, if this is about Valencia–”

  “Fine. Since you brought her up, let’s talk about that.” She ignored the way Hawk rolled his eyes upwards and trudged on. “Why is it that wherever I go I’m always running into women you’ve slept with. We both know that’s the real reason Valencia got so upset. I noticed her bitchy attitude the moment she saw me.”

  “She had an attitude alright, but it was because you have something she wants. Me. And before you say anything, I guess I understand you being suspicious. Would Valencia mind taking things to a different level? Yes. But the only interaction between us has been business. That’s it. I told you before, I don’t mess around when it comes to intermingling my personal life with my business.”

  Raven folded her arms and jutted out her hip. “You expect me to believe that? She acted way too familiar for things to just be business.”

  “I’m not lyin’ to you, Rae. I don’t have a reason to.” Amusement gradually crept into his eyes and nudged away his irritation. “If you’d look past your own jealousy for one second you would see that I’m telling you the truth.”

  She immediately reacted to his taunt that was intended to provoke a reaction. “I am not jealous of that rude, little...!” She let out a harsh breath before continuing. “I just know what it feels like to be made a fool of and don’t appreciate you trying to do it again.”

  That accusation succeeded in wiping the amusement from his face. “Okay, stop right there. I’ve been nothing but open and honest with you, so let’s not do this. You’ve never been a coward, baby. That’s one of the things that attracted me to you in the first place. I need you to give me just a little bit of slack here and think about this.”